The Catholic University of America (CUA) vs Wilkes University

The Catholic University of America and Wilkes University, while both offering quality education, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. The Catholic University of America, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a lower acceptance rate of 68%, indicating a more selective admissions process. Wilkes University, situated in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 84%. In terms of student body demographics, The Catholic University of America has a larger undergraduate population, with over 3,000 students compared to Wilkes University's approximately 2,300 undergraduates. Both institutions offer a diverse range of popular majors, including business, nursing, and psychology, but The Catholic University of America additionally excels in theology and religious studies. While Wilkes University boasts a slightly higher graduation rate of 65% compared to The Catholic University of America's 63%, both universities provide ample opportunities for academic success and personal growth. Explore the

	The Catholic University of America	Wilkes University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.0%	94.8%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	1040 - 1250
ACT range	N/A	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		30.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	5,895	4,019
Total number of admissions given out	5,070	3,809
Admitted students who chose to enroll	691	556
Yield rate	13.6%	14.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$74,126	$55,207
Average net price	$35,520	$30,155
Tuition	$51,040	$37,994
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,220 Meal plan: $6,800	Room/dormitory: $9,492 Meal plan: $6,206
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $31,915	96.0% Average amount $26,371
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $5,308	84.0% Average amount $5,594
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $22,405	32.0% Average amount $16,328

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,929 Men 44.1% Women 55.9%	2,232 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Graduate students	2,130 Men 47.2% Women 52.8%	3,044 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	26.5%
International students	8.3%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,985	1,184
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Business
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.7%	61.4%
Dropout rate	26.2%	11.2%
Transferred out	N/A	26.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,058 Year 2: $100,690 Year 3: $108,981 Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,312 Year 2: $89,092 Year 3: $98,232 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,088 Year 2: $73,769 Year 3: $83,282 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $62,128 Year 2: $64,162 Year 3: $80,941 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,938 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $77,885 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,277 Year 2: $54,035 Year 3: $77,782 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,219 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $77,474 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,927 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $74,919 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $71,180 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,697 Year 2: $63,377 Year 3: $66,355	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $126,057 Year 2: $133,171 Year 3: $124,927 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,920 Year 2: $110,559 Year 3: $119,036 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,305 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $65,444 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,200 Year 2: $53,219 Year 3: $64,060 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,705 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $63,832 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,105 Year 2: $65,035 Year 3: $63,464 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,835 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $59,300 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,977 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $56,693 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,044 Year 2: $53,099 Year 3: $55,573 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,218 Year 2: $44,776 Year 3: $55,534

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